After my period away from Twitter and sometime to reflect, I’ve arrived at the conclusion that a) You, the readers like it when I publish the latest rumours or news first & b) I’m tired of trying to play the PR game. It’s dull & boring when the end consumer get some PR advertorial guff about their latest client’s bowel movement. So from now on, I’ll ask the focus of the post if they would like to comment or discuss my potential post. They may, if the timing isn’t right wish me to defer posting it, which I can understand. But if, like in recent times, chefs & PR companies seem to think I’m here to serve them, then you’re wrong. As I’ve said on more than one occasion, I post material which I would like to read myself.

Not long after I posted about “James Sommerin & The Crown at Whitebrook”, I received an email concerning the post, from Mr Sommerin himself. I offered a phone number with which to discuss this & other releases, but nothing. That was over a month ago, and in light of this & other events I’m now bored of the tail wagging the dog.

James Sommerin will be re-locating to Penarth, as I said in my earlier post. But not at Holm House, where work seems to have stagnated on their mid March opening date. Instead Mr Sommerin will be opening in a brand new complex called Beachcliff ,on the Esplanade in Penarth. I can reveal there are three units on the ground floor, one of which is ear marked to be a gym at 215m². Then there are two units which are classed as for A3 use ( for food & drink), one at 120m² and the second is at 257m². However, it appears that none of these ground floor units are for Mr Sommerin; no, it appears that his restaurant will be on the first floor, utilising the four large windows which will give diners views over the Severn estuary.

The development will also be home to four houses, with an asking price starting in the region of £1.2million, depending on where you look, with two of the units already sold.

According to the plans submitted to the Vale of Glamorgan planning authority, the kitchen will be to the rear of the building & occupy somewhere in the region of 15-20% of that floor’s square footage. The one fly in the ointment is that one of the million pound plus homes sits directly above the restaurant, but not to worry as it appears that it will belong to developer, Richard Hayward.

The Beachcliff development has been a controversial project virtually from the word go, & has been a blight on Penarth’s glorious Victorian esplanade for years. The sooner it’s completed, the better, seems to be the general consensus of opinion locally.

So you’re going to want to know dimensions. Well, a great placed source has told ChefHermes.com James Sommerin’s restaurant is going to be 100covers, plus a Chef’s table in or just off the kitchen. There is also a rumour of six letting bedrooms, although I can’t see these on the plans submitted. Opening date is expected to be in the region of October, although anybody that knows the Beachcliff development would ask which October.

As usual I’d like to wish Mr Sommerin & all concerned the very best for the future in their latest venture.